Economic Development Board

The Placer County Economic Development Board, established by the Board of Supervisors in 1991 serves as an advisory body for the Economic Development division.

Members of the board are responsible for carrying economic development information back to the governments and organizations they represent to insure that there is a united effort to attract new jobs to the County. Members include, two County Supervisors, six council representatives and leaders in agriculture, communication, public education, private education, healthcare, manufacturing, non-profits, tourism and utilities. The Board is building a strategic framework to position Placer County as the best place to live and work in California.

Documents

Veronica Blake, Representing Non-Profits & Chair

Since 2004, Veronica Blake has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Placer community foundation. In this capacity, she has worked with their Board of Directors to create a philanthropic organization to serve the people of Placer County grow local giving. As CEO, activities include: converting a private foundation into a public charity; rehabilitating and occupying an historic building in Old Town Auburn the development of needed staffing, systems and infrastructure; compliance with national standards for community foundations; launched initiatives supporting nonprofit capacity building, youth development and the arts; she is responsible for the attraction of new donors and 183% in asset growth; generating visibility and credibility for community philanthropy. She developed an international reputation as a champion of community philanthropy and community foundation leadership and speaks at sector events for the council on foundations and Community Foundations of Canada.

She serves as the Placer Community Foundation’s spokesperson and goodwill ambassador, maintaining a positive professional reputation in the community.

Veronica Blake represents the nonprofit sector on the Economic Development Board of Directors.

Matt Spokely, Representing the City of Auburn & Vice Chair

Biography under construction

Dr. Lyndell Grey, Representing Agriculture

Professional

Associate Aide to Supervisor Robert M. Weygandt, District 2, Placer County

Director of the Fruitvale School Education Programs

Owner of the 2G Ranch, grassfed beef

Organizations

Chair of the Placer County Economic Development Board

Chair of the Placer County Historical Museum Organization

President of the Fruitvale Community Hall Corporation

President of the Donner Tract Association

Robert M. Weygandt, District Two Supervisor

Robert M. Weygandt, a member of the Placer County Board of Supervisors since 1995, lives on the same foothills ranch in rural Lincoln where he grew up. He represents the western portion of the county, including Lincoln, Sheridan and the western portions of Rocklin and Roseville. He has lived in Placer County for over 50 years and was recently re-elected to his sixth four-year term.

After graduating from Lincoln High School, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in finance and management from the University of Southern California (go Trojans!). From 1979 to 2004, he was vice president, chief financial officer and part owner of WECO Aerospace Systems, an aircraft repair facility based in Lincoln. His other past experience includes service as a county planning commissioner, member of the county economic development board and community college instructor.

Today, Robert is avidly involved in Placer Legacy—a program to protect land, water and open space within the county, which won the Governor’s Award for Environmental and Economic Leadership in 2002. Robert is also an avid outdoorsman who admits to be a fanatic fly fisherman.

He has a son Eric and a daughter Stephanie who both work in Placer County. He is a proud grandpa—with granddaughters Haley, Madison, Sydney and grandsons Braden, Tanner and Blake.

First term – January 1995 – December 1998
Second term – January 1999 – December 2002
Third term – January 2003 – December 2006
Fourth term – January 2007 – December 2010
Fifth term – January 2011 – December 2014
Sixth term – January 2015 – December 2018

Jennifer Montgomery, District Five Supervisor

Jennifer Montgomery was elected District 5 Supervisor in November, 2008. District 5 extends from North Auburn and Foresthill in the West, to the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. It is geographically the largest and most diverse district in the County. District 5 has just one incorporated city within its borders, the City of Colfax.

To accommodate for the vast amount of unincorporated area in the district, District 5 has six Municipal Advisory Councils, which meet monthly throughout the district. These MACs, which serve to advise the Board of Supervisors, meet in North Auburn, Foresthill, Meadow Vista, Colfax, Squaw Valley and North Tahoe.

Jennifer is a 20-year resident of Donner Summit and, before joining the Board of Supervisors, she ran her own business in Serene Lakes. She is married to Dan Gomez, a North Tahoe firefighter. It is important that your voice be heard. Please contact the office at any time if you have questions, concerns, or would like to get involved with shaping your county government.

Kim Douglass, Representing the City of Colfax

I was raised in Pennsylvania and while attending high school was able to win the Central Pennsylvania Science Fair. In college, I played basketball, was a member of the chess team and received an undergraduate degree in the Arts and Sciences; while doing graduate work in Business Administration. I moved to California where I wrote computer software at Bechtel in San Francisco. In 1997 our daughter was born and my wife and I moved to Colfax where I have been active in school activities and community functions.

In addition to serving on the City Council, I am a representative on SEDCORP, PCAPCD, PCEDB, Project Go, PCCSC; and I am affiliated with Gathering Inn, Food Closet and Senior Center. My focus here in Colfax is to get our community back on track, economically, thus creating a more family friendly environment.

Peter Gilbert, Representing the City of Lincoln

Peter served in the US Army Intelligence Corp where he was responsible for all finance operations for the Intelligence Corp Chief of Staff world-wide. He returned to California to start his business career. After several years with Rockwell International, Peter was recruited by Wells Fargo Bank. He retired from the bank as a Senior Vice President. He did several startup ventures including 3 internet companies before moving to Lincoln.

Peter was twice elected to the Foster City council where he served as Mayor and was very active in Bay Area- wide government organizations such as the League of California Cities, Peninsula Division where he served as the President representing 35 plus cities, as chairman of the San Mateo Criminal Justice Council, as a member of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) executive board and many additional committees and commissions.

After moving to Lincoln, Peter served on the Placer County Grand Jury and for two terms on the 12,000 member Lincoln Hills Board of Directors, three years as President.

Peter would like to concentrate on financial issues to help Lincoln become financially stable and able to fund a proper level of city services. His vision is to provide a level of service where the families and businesses of Lincoln can reach their full potential. This will be a challenge with our current difficult economic conditions in our state. But Peter is prepared to do the work required to find consensus on what is needed to solve these challenges and to work toward completing the goals set to bring solutions for Lincoln.

Peter serves on the City's Fiscal & Investment Oversight, Economic Development and Loan Committees here in Lincoln. He is also Former President of the Placer County Mosquito and Vector Control District representing the City of Lincoln. As Mayor, Peter also sits on the Borders, City/Chamber of Commerce, Greater Sacramento and Local Community Benefit Committees.

Like all cities there are a multitude of issues that need attention. But Peter would like to concentrate on these financial challenges as it is the gateway to solving many other important issues before the city.

Miguel Ucovich, Representing the Town of Loomis

Has served on most of the Placer County commissions such as Transportation, Air Quality, Local Agency Formation Commission and Economic Development

Served six years on the Board of Directors for the California League of Cities

He is married to Nancy Nordlin and has four grown children and five grand children

Retired from the City of Roseville after 26 years as the Recreation Superintendent

Joe Patterson, Representing the City of Rocklin

Joe Patterson was elected to the Rocklin City Council for the first time in November 2016.

Born and raised in Napa, Joe is a life-long Californian who moved to the Sacramento region in 2000. Joe and his wife, Colleen, have two young children (Ethan and Andi).

Joe serves as the Treasurer for the Rocklin Public Safety Foundation, on the Board of Directors for Region Business, Inc. and is a member of the Rocklin Area Chamber of Commerce.

He graduated with a BA in Government from Sacramento State and was admitted to the post-graduate Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship where he began his career working in the state Legislature. After several years analyzing public policy impacting local government, he left the Capitol for the private sector. Joe currently serves as the Executive Director of the California Gaming Association. He provides guidance to members on regulatory compliance, state and local legislative policy and public affairs.

Joe lives in the Whitney Ranch area of Rocklin. He is often spotted working from local coffee shops and loves meeting new neighbors. In his free time he enjoys taking neighborhood walks with his kids to look at tractors and capture bugs.

Scott Alvord, Representing the City of Roseville

Scott Alvord was elected to the Roseville City Council in 2016. Prior to his term on Council, Scott’s service to the city included appointments to the Roseville Parks and Recreation Commission, the Personnel Board, the Downtown Revitalization Committee, the Downtown Roseville Specific Plan Steering Committee, and the Roseville Youth Sports Coalition.

A popular business speaker, trainer, coach, and author, Scott is the founder and CEO of Advanced Development Concepts, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1986 that helps businesses find ways to increase revenue, gain business exposure, reach target customers, and help solve problems. His company has two small subsidiaries: Advanced Programming Concepts (a software/tech company) and Advanced Publishing Concepts (an author-services company). Scott was also the original owner of an award-winning restaurant that he operated for over a decade in downtown Roseville before selling it in February 2016. Scott served as a senior examiner at the California Awards for Performance Excellence (CAPE), the California version of the national Malcolm Baldridge Quality Awards program. Leading teams that evaluated the corporations, hospitals, schools, civic governments, and military programs provided him with a fresh perspective of looking at complex organizations. He is a certified ambassador and lecturer with Successful Thinkers.

Scott’s volunteer commitment is extensive and includes serving nine years as president of the Downtown Roseville Merchants, on the Executive Board of the Roseville Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (RCONA), as president of both the Westpark and the Pleasant Grove neighborhood associations, and as president of the Fellowship Networking Group, Roseville Chapter. He also served on the Roseville Chamber of Commerce CORE (C3) Committee and the Roseville Chamber of Commerce Revitalization Committee, was an instructor for the Roseville Business Police Academy, chaired a Christian school board for six years, and coached high school sports.

Scott integrates his deep compassion for the growing problem of homelessness with an interest in finding ways to provide an economic cost savings to our region by effectively addressing the issue. He served as the only business representative on the Placer County Homeless Advisory Committee and has since helped form the Placer Rescue Mission (PRM), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The PRM is following proven, national models to develop a large “housing first” project that could essentially eliminate resident homelessness in Placer County and save the county $8 million per year once it’s completed.

Scott has been voted “Favorite Local Businessperson” and “Favorite Civic Leader” in Roseville/Granite Bay Style Magazine’s Readers Choice Awards. He was a 2015 and 2016 finalist in the Roseville Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year award.

He earned an MBA-MCA degree from Sacramento State University and a bachelor degree in computer science from Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA.

A retired gymnast, Scott has been married since 1986 to his college sweetheart, is the father of seven children (some by birth and some through adoption of relatives), and currently has eight grandchildren. He raised his family in Roseville, started companies here, and plans to retire here.

Joseph Glenn, Representing Communications

Joseph Glenn has been in the telecommunications industry for over 20 years and with Consolidated Communications in Roseville, California since 1997 (Formerly Roseville Telephone Company, SureWest Communications). As a senior sales leader, Mr. Glenn oversees the residential sales and retention efforts for the company in the Greater Sacramento, Kansas City, Houston, Pittsburgh and Eastern Illinois markets.

Mr. Glenn has served as a board appointed member of the Administrative Committee at SureWest Communications and currently as a board member of the Consolidated Communications Foundation, which directs the philanthropic activities of the company in Placer and Sacramento Counties. Mr. Glenn earned an MBA from California State University, Sacramento and has served on the Placer County Economic Development Board since 2011.

Dr. John Jackson, Representing Education (Private

Prior to joining William Jessup University as its Sixth President in March 2011, John served as the Executive Director of Thriving Churches International and as a Senior Leader of Bayside Church, Granite Bay, California. He is the Founding Pastor of LifePoint Church in Minden, Nevada, and previously was the Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest (now Transformation Ministries) where he was responsible to serve more than 270 churches in four Western states. John also served as the Senior Pastor and in several staff roles at First Baptist Church of Oxnard and as the Youth Pastor at First Baptist Church of Buena Park. Dr. Jackson earned both his Ph.D. and M.A. in Educational Administration and Organizational Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara; M.A. in Theology (Christian Formation and Discipleship) at Fuller Theological Seminary; and a B.A. in Religion (Christian History and Thought) from Chapman University.

His strong background in executive and organizational leadership has given him the opportunity to come alongside high impact churches and leaders in national and global settings to strengthen their organizational leadership and communication skills. John is committed to leverage his Kingdom influence through strategic relationships.

Dr. Jackson is married to Pamela Harrison Jackson and they make their home in Rocklin, CA; they have 5 children, two of whom are married. They are still waiting for grandchildren. Patiently. Not.

William H. Duncan IV, Representing Education (Public

William Duncan, or Willy to all who have met him, was born and raised in Bakersfield, CA. He attended California State University, Bakersfield where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a minor in Communications and a Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance.

Willy’s career in education began as a student while at CSU, Bakersfield. He held jobs in several campus departments and upon graduation was hired as the university’s budget analyst. In 1997, Willy began working at nearby Taft College as the Dean of Business Services. In 2000, he was named the Vice President of Administrative Services and he was appointed as Executive Vice President in 2007. Six months after his appointment, the Board of Trustees selected Willy to become the interim Superintendent/president. In 2008, he participated in the search process and was selected to fill the position permanently. At the time of his appointment, Willy was the youngest President in the California Community College system.

In 2011, Willy was selected as the sixth President of Sierra College. His commitment to the region is reflected in his membership on several Chambers of Commerce, Rotary, LEED, Valley Vision, and SACTO. At the state level, he has a leadership role in the Association of California community College Administrators (ACCCA) and serves on the Community College League of California (CCLC) Advisory Committee on Legislation.

Frank Wegener, Manufacturing

Frank is a registered professional engineer with 40 years of experience in the HVAC industry. His extensive background encompasses all phases of the industry from design of refrigeration systems to manufacturing of AC equipment. He spent 3 years with the Trane Corporation as a sales engineer, and for the past 35 years, Frank has been an independent marketing representative of HVAC and related equipment with his firm of L & H Airco.

Frank utilizes his engineering capabilities to assist consulting engineers with critical system designs, specifically for hospital, institutional and cooling tower applications. Frank received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Santa Clara University.

Mora Rowe, Representing Tourism

Appointed Executive Director of Placer County Visitors Bureau in October 2013, Mora Rowe has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, development, communications solutions and fiscal management. Responsibilities range from organizational development, operations and event production to brand creation/building, public relations, fundraising, and strategic planning.

She began her career in the fashion industry, serving as director of Elite Model Management NYC and Director of Development at IMG Models in New York City. Rowe has as a strong track record of developing successful collaborations among government, private sector, nonprofit and community partners. As well as providing clear communication and leadership throughout an organization. Rowe is a strategic thinker who prioritizes effectively and drives tactical initiatives to achieve desired outcomes.

Chuck Heisleman, Representing Utilities

Since moving to Auburn in 1966 Chuck attended local schools including Sierra College where he majored in Business Administration. He also attended CSU, Sacramento, earning a B.S. in Business Administration while concentrating in human resources management, as well as earning an M.B.A..

Chuck has worked for PG&E for 36 years and has held 17 different management positions during that time including various positions in customer services, marketing, energy efficiency, Human Resources liaison and engineering. During the past 10 years he has worked closely with the largest customers in Placer and Nevada counties and currently holds a position on the Sierra Division Leadership Team. Outside of PG&E there was also the creation of a small home based family business for 9 years.

In the community he was elected Governing Board Member, Auburn Union School District in 2006 and is past president of the Nevada County United Way. He is currently a member of the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce Governmental Relations & Economic Development committee. In 2009 he received the PG&E Corporate Affairs Recognition Award for extraordinary effort in support of Community Relations, Corporate Relations and Governmental Relations. He was also instrumental in PG&E being awarded the Auburn Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award in 2012.